Detectives: Brother shot 6-year-old boy in head

Detectives investigating the shooting of a 6-year-old boy now believe the victim's 8-year-old brother fired the shot that critically injured the young boy.

On Tuesday officials said the 6-year-old shot himself in the head after managing to unlock his parent's gun safe at their home in a rural area near Lystair Lake west of Shelton.

Mason County Sheriff Chief Criminal Deputy Dean Byrd said new evidence indicates the brother is responsible, despite investigators having been told at the scene that the younger boy shot himself with the pistol.

"The 8-year-old had voluntarily told (arriving) officers that the 6-year-old had been playing with the gun," Byrd said. "Further investigation led us to conclude that this was not the case."

Byrd said the 8-year-old eventually came clean and admitted what happened, but detectives are still trying to determine exactly what led up to the shooting.

The boy was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center following the shooting about 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday. He remains in critical condition.

Officials said the boys' mother was taking a nap with her infant daughter when the incident occurred.

"(The parents) are, of course, very distraught," Byrd said, adding the mother is with the child at Harborview. "It's a trying time for them."

Byrd says the shooting is still under investigation but at this point, it is unlikely that any charges will be filed.